Eye Opener: Trump dismisses AI warnings

EU officials are set to convene in Brussels on Thursday to deliberate on the establishment of universal guidelines to counter the emerging threats posed by advanced AI models, according to two EU diplomats and a draft agenda obtained by POLITICO. The European Commission will provide an update on the state of EU and international AI policies, alongside a technical briefing on recent incidents related to AI, during the Artificial Intelligence Board meeting, a gathering comprising representatives from each EU member state, who convene regularly to monitor progress on the bloc's Artificial Intelligence Act.

This upcoming meeting follows a series of calls for a more cautious approach to AI development, made by leaders of prominent AI companies such as Anthropic's Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman. However, U.S. President Donald Trump swiftly dismissed these calls, labeling the AI safety warnings as a "hoax" and arguing that such measures would grant China an advantage in the AI race.

The European discussions on global collaboration will concentrate on the outcomes achieved at the G7, G20, and the United Nations, according to one of the diplomats.

On Friday, the European Commission's chief technology authority, Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen, advocated for global AI regulations and cooperation. Virkkunen also highlighted that the EU has implemented legislation mandating companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to evaluate and mitigate the risk of losing control over an AI model; however, such measures are not universally adopted.

The President of the European Parliament's AI committee, Italian Social Democrat Brando Benifei, urged the European Commission on Tuesday to advocate for global AI cooperation, including in President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the EU address to legislators on Wednesday. Benifei emphasized the necessity for international cooperation, cooperation from the U.S., and cooperation from China during the address.